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It would have been no picnic had it not been for my mom helping with Ciro. I had to move back home to Frankfort, IN and commuted 30 min to complete my undergrad and Master’s in Bio-Chem at Purdue in Lafayette. I had to sell Mom’s house after she passed away and used the funds towards getting a Ph.D.
I had no choice but to accept this T.A. assignment at GSU because, thankfully, it gives me a small stipend, health insurance, and reduced tuition. With luck and a tight budget, I should be able to scrape by for the next five years to complete my Ph.D. in Biochemistry Engineering.
My papers and folders for the day were carefully gathered in a small corduroy bag. I slipped my badge over my head. I stared down at the plastic. Letting it seep into me once more with the black and bold text declaring ‘Teaching Assistant.’
I slung my purse over my shoulder and grasped my bag in the other. I finally stepped out of the car and into the humid warmth of the early southern fall.
The campus was quiet. As requested by my department head, I arrived early, and the walk was quiet as I crossed the lot to the office I was assigned. Only a few students or teachers walked the pathways, and I counted only two on my way. The sound of busy birds made up for the lack of chattering students, and I would argue it was more pleasurable.
His office was small but workable for two people. The teacher I would be working with was nowhere to be seen. I had yet to know who I had been assigned to, but for now, I made myself at home at the small desk shoved in the corner.
The larger desk, which I assumed was his, had less space than my side table. This was only because of the stacks and stacks of towering papers. The man I would be working with seemed to like organized chaos.
I carefully placed the things I wouldn’t need on my desk, fussing with them until they felt right. Pride swelled in my chest. It felt like I was floating away, and it was impossible to shake off the sensation.
That is until the creak of the door behind me alerted me to the presence of the teacher I would be working with.
When I turned with a wide smile, I almost stepped out of my chair to greet him. It took me a moment to process who had just walked through the door.
My smile cracked, that balloon deflated, and my heartbeat ramped up.
Standing in front of me with a haggard look was Aldric Haile.
A man I could never and would never forget.
Considering I looked at his child every day, a child whose features were only slightly mixed with mine, with the majority of his features matched to his. A child we had together.
Suddenly I wasn’t happy to be at my new job anymore.
Chapter 5
Aldric
Iknewjustfromwaking up this morning and feeling the humidity of the autumn air, mixed with a leftover lingering summer heat, was a sign that it was about to be a long day for me.
My shirt was sticking to my skin when I got to the car.
Why did I come back to Georgia? What was the point? The weather alone was enough to deter me. However, the job offered to me gave me much more flexibility when it came to my research.
I kept reminding myself that it was all I wanted in the long run. And nothing, not even a little heat, would stop me from getting it. With a new T.A. assigned to me, I could devote the majority of my time to the lab.
Still, having to deal with starting the day dripping in sweat, with the wrong cup of coffee in hand, I ordered my coffee with ice, but instead, I’m now stuck with hot coffee. On top of all these, I will have to deal with the new T.A. today; it made me nearly want to tear my hair out.
Only because I have to take the time to make sure they are up to my standard. I know I have a reputation for being grumpy, so today I told myself I will not get out of sorts.
I sipped my coffee with a look of disgust on the ride over. I listened to the news over the spotty radio reception with my air conditioning on full blast and quietly grumbling to myself. I’m already realizing it’s going to be a grumpy day.
It was too damn early to feel like total crap. I ran my fingers through my slowly drying hair and frowned. Showering had been a complete waste this morning. Especially now since I was out of the car and hauling my ass across campus. Halfway to the office and I was already drenched again. And the caffeine my coffee provided me with was no longer worth the extra heat it was putting off. I ended up having to ditch it in a nearby trash can.
Stepping into my office building, I felt a sudden swoosh of cool air. It was like a gift handed straight from the gods. The cool atmosphere provided by the air conditioning enveloped me like a blizzard. I let out a sigh of relief. For a moment, I stood there soaking in the chilly air and letting my head get focused on the task at hand.
What waited for me in the room beyond would most likely be an unskilled, geeky, inexperienced schmuck. In the past, they would only relieve my workload once they got halfway through the semester.
Until then, they would only increase it by fucking up, and I knew this from experience. Yet, this was part a limited part of my contract, and I wouldn’t deny helping the future of teaching was something I did have a strange desire to do, even if it irritated me more often than not. But then again, idiocy was agitating.
My hand gripped my briefcase tightly before I finally moved forward. And through the door that would spell my future for the semester and possibly the entire year.
Funny enough, I didn’t notice my assigned T.A. right away. But when I did, I was struck by a vague sense of familiarity that I couldn’t quite place and therefore brushed off.
